I can't tell what Carjup is asking, but then again, I never can. What a waste.
I'm thinking he's asking if those are all of the Commanders in the film...
As CCG pointed out, Commander Appo and Commander Oddball are both in the film. Chances are, too, there are even more Commanders in the film. I've yet to see any name attached to the pilot who shot down Plo Koon, for example.
Now as to what exactly a Commander is, in terms of rank...
Every group of Clones is going to have a field Commander I'm guessing... That's also my only logical conclusion on what the actual title "Commander" means. It's a rank unique to Star Wars as Commanders aren't usually marching in with the men in Earth combat terms, not like Cody did anyway, so I've been grappling with the title "Commander" being used in the Clone military for a long time now (Since AOTC).
You're right, in Earth terms, usually Field Commanders and Generals
don't get caught marching alongside grunts in the thick of battle - but, at least what we can see in Revenge of the Sith, neither do many of the
confirmed Clone Commanders.
Follow me :
We can't really tell when Commander Cody landed at Utapah, if his Gunship landed with the first wave, or a second or third - but during the length of the battle, we see him in what appears to be a secured Landing Zone. Since he never moves from this location, I think it's safe to assume this is his base of operations. Despite being under fire, it's definately not the Front.
During the entire Battle of Kashyyyk, Jedi General Yoda, Wookiee General Tarful, and Commander Gree and his staff are located on an observation deck. The deck becomes quite close to the front, as the beachfront appears to have been pushed back, but none of the Commanders seem concerned for their safety - they stay put...
Comander Bly and his staff join Jedi General Aayla at the head of an advance...
Commander Bacara follow behind Jedi General Ki Adi in the thick of it...
Do you see what I'm going at, here?
In the case of the Battle of Utapah, where the Jedi General is an acting Commando at-large (having landed before the invasion), the attacking force's Clone Commander stays at his base of operations and operates accordingly on his own. In the case of the Battle of Kashyyyk, where the
commanding Jedi General stays at the base of operations, so too does the Clone Commander. In the cases of the battles of Felucia and Mygeeto, where the
commanding Jedi Generals are at the front lines, so too are the Clone Commanders...
I know its a long way just to make a little point, but it seems to me that when the Clone Commanders are accompanied by Jedi Generals - they act as the Commander of the Jedi General's Operations Staff. Wherever the Jedi General goes, the Clone Commander goes... even if that means they fight on the front lines.
And with the Clone's mentality, is that really any surprise?
Here's how I see the Military structure of the Republic:
The Jedi Council answers to the Senate. The Jedi, as an organization, were chosen by the Senate to lead the Republic, but the Council selects the Jedi Generals on their own. Naturally, the Jedi Generals answer to the Jedi Council (which consists of Jedi Masters, and in Anakin's case, a Jedi Knight), while all rank of Jedi in the military, from Apprentices to Knights, answer to their Jedi Generals...
The Clones are loyal to the Chancellor, who is (supposed to be) under the order of the Senate, too. Thus, the Clones, under the Senate's orders, answer to the Jedi... even the Apprentices class. The fact that a Jedi Apprentice can take charge of a Clone Commander's force
really bothers me, but obviously the Senate had blind faith in the Superhuman Jedi to be natural military leaders.
Fox cannot possibly be second in command in my mind. Sergeants don't run the show unless everyone's dead, so if Appo is a legion Commander ("Field Commander", whatever), I believe Fox must be at the least a Captain (by the generally accepted EU guide to Clone ranks). Sergeants just don't lead large groups like that unless they work their way to a higher rank due to casualties within the ranks, field promotion for exemplary work, etc...
I think Clone Commanders are the equivalent of our world's 3 and 4 star Generals, meaning they have a staff of aides consisting of higher and lower placed officers at their side, which could explain why Commander Appo may have a Lieutenant give one of his (Division) Generals an order.
I think the Generals, too, have a staff - and the same all the way down to probably Battalion strength, with Majors and their staff (Quartermasters, Platoon Sergeants).
Ever since hearing Luke Skywalker reffered to as a Commander during Empire Strikes Back, I've thought of the rank of Commander as an often honorary title attached to an existing rank - but I don't think this is the case with the Clone Army.
I figure there's not much structure for troopers other than they have a Sergeant of perhaps varying degrees, but the build up to the rank of Sergeant (IMO) is non-existant and till you gain that higher level below officers you are just a "Trooper". It simplifies things at least.
I disagree, I think the structure is intact from Private to General -
and - I think the term "Trooper" is just a both formal, respectful, and brotherly term, used like "Comrade"...
With the color coding done away with between the early war and the late war, I figure some means of identification of rank was conceived otherwise.
It's likely that the color coding was done away with
because it was so easy to identify rank - during the early stages of the war, officer casulties were probably twice that of the later stages of the war, once officers became harder to distinguish from their troops.
With the advancement in the Clone helmet's HUD (Heads-Up Display), from the added night-vision to private com-link, it's highly probable that rank recognition was implemented, as well. I look at it much like the player recognition in most online games - your allies have ID markers.
Some lower ranks within a Clone Legion (I'm guessing Legions are the largest single military grouping in the Star Wars Galaxy) maybe are allowed to adjust their armor by the whims of their CO or Jedi General? Perhaps all Clones are allowed to modify their gear even, further setting them apart from others? Lots of room for debate and thought there.
I believe one source said that the Jedi encouraged Clones to individualize themselves by taking names... I think the Jedi influence during the war, what with the close relationships between Jedi General and Clone Commander, lead to alot of trickle-down effect through the ranks... Perhaps when Cody, for example, was encouraged by the Jedi to take his name, his staff did the same, and on down...
I think Clone Commander's also allowed their Division Generals to personalize their units' armor, first for the sake of camoflauge, then eventually for the sake of pride... I'm sure the paint schemes depended on the individual Commander, which is why you see some units within a Legion wearing the completely different color schemes, and another Legion where all units are the painted the same.
It's all thanks to the Jedi, I think. This is why, I believe, Stormtroopers in the OT have reverted back to the plain white - after destroying the Jedi's presence, Palpatine also wanted to erase, as much as possible, anything the Jedi were responsible for doing.
Why didn't the Biker Scouts on Endor camoflauge their armor? They weren't allowed to.
In terms of the Clone troops customizing their gear - that's an entirely different beast altogether. Playing ROTS in slow-mo, you see dozens of troopers carrying different combinations of rifles, helmets, antenna, pauldrons, and straps and packs. It's insane.
To me the cold/mountain gear is the "Snow"Trooper gear and I don't buy there actually being "Snow"Troopers that are ready at a moment's notice to drop onto icy planets... just in case. It's easier in my mind to assume that Stormtroopers have clothes for cold weather assaults, and that the Standard Trooper armor is used for other climates and the pack is modular to be adapted with the appropriate gear for the appropriate world.
I agree completely. I, too, find it a bit silly to think the Empire would afford to keep a 'Cold Weather Garrison' and 'Sandy-terrain Garrison' on board capitol ships - along with their regular troopers - just in case they happen to need them. It just isn't effecient.
I think the same can be said for the Republic's Galactic Marines.
The Pauldron then is a FAST means of identifying ranking individuals on the field. The Orange Pauldron isn't indicative of any specific rank, and could indicate anything from a Lieutenant up to a General in armor even. The other colors are a little more believable though for what they were listed, and there's lotsa EU designs I dig too.
I'm not sure what to think about the Pauldrons... while they
could indicate rank, I think it's much more likely that they serve a more civilian-oriented purpose. Perhaps the orange pauldron indicates 'the guy in charge', while the gray pauldron indicates this trooper is a translator, and white as a medic, or something of that effect. I'm stuck on the idea that by the Mid-year of the Clone Wars, troopers had a sophisticated HUD.